Four Baloch youth have been abducted from Karachi and Quetta in the last twenty-four hours. One among them is a scholar and two others are students of Karachi University. All four victims Gazain Muslim Baloch, Irfan Rasheed Baloch, Qambar Baloch and Waheed Baloch were picked up unlawfully and their remains are unknown. On the other hand, expelled Baloch students from Bahawalpur university are protesting to be restored. They were expelled because they conducted study circles. Dera Bugti, the area which provides Gas to most of Pakistan, people of that area deprived of drinking water, they are forced to drink dirty water and because of that people are suffering from cholera and other diseases.
People of Gwadar are protesting for a long time now against illegal trawling and to open and ease the border trade, instead of listening to the grievances of the people they have always ignored the protesters with fake promises. Families of the Baloch missing persons (Abducted by the Pakistani secret services) have been protesting for over a decade now and yet nothing has changed. Baloch students, no matter whether they are in Balochistan or any other part of Pakistan, are always living in the fear of being abducted, tortured and killed. They cannot roam freely or do normal activities as other students would. Most of the time Baloch people become part of the struggle not because of a choice but because of the deprivation, oppression and brutal policies of the deep state.
Many people from Punjab and other parts of Pakistan, criticise Baloch tribal chiefs (Sardar, Nawabs) and blame them for the deprivation, undoubtedly the Sardars, most of them are involved and responsible for the deprivation because they are part of the establishment and they have been part of the establishment since day one. The common Baloch are not struggling to please the sardar or nawab; they are demanding their just rights. The Baloch should follow the path of the PTM, many liberals would argue. To them, I would like to say that they should respectfully study the Baloch movements history, from Shaheed Fida Ahmed Baloch to Ghulam Mohammed Baloch and from the first chairman of the BSO in the 1960s till today they have been part of the peaceful democratic struggle.
Yes, our demands are different from PTM, because the issue is different. From the early two thousand till the end of the decade, Balochs were able to do huge gatherings in Mand, Turbat, Derabugti, Kahan, Karachi, Quetta and other parts of Balochistan. In response to those peaceful rallies, public gatherings, and protests, Pakistan started picking up leaders of the Pro-Independence Political parties and organisations. And those who were abducted not only kept away from the masses but were tortured to death, countless of them were killed and mutilated bodies were thrown in the streets to send a message to the remaining leadership and the members of the parties and organisations that if they continue to raise voices against state brutalities they will meet with the same fate.
Even after all those brutalities and extrajudicial abductions and murders, Baloch political forces didn’t give up on their struggle they continued to struggle peacefully and politically for the freedom of Balochistan, but then they were banned by the Pakistani judiciary. Then they had to change their strategies to survive and continue their struggle. Pakistani forces may have been successful to ban the Baloch political parties with fake charges but they weren’t successful to end the Baloch resistance. The people’s resistance is still ongoing and it is getting more powerful day by day. Why pick up the arms and why not struggle peacefully? Who has forced the Baloch to pick up the arms? Who has forcibly annexed Balochistan to Pakistan in 1948?
Who broke the promises with the Baloch leadership time and again? Who killed the elderly Nawab Akbar Khan bugti? Who killed the peaceful political leader Ghulam Mohammad Lala Munir and Sher Mohammad Baloch? Who has been plundering Baloch resources? Who has conducted nuclear tests in a populous area of Chaghi? Balochs have picked up the arms not to occupy someone else’s country, land, or resources but to defend their own. It is not a crime to defend your country, family and nation. If the Pakistani state believes Kashmir has a right to be free then why not Balochistan? If they believe Palestine has a right to be free then why not Balochistan?